When We Were Young
by SimplyxEmma
Summary: 30 days. 30 prompts. All the while telling the story of Zuko and Katara.
1. Beginning

**Day 1.  
Prompt: Beginning.  
Rating: T (overall) to be safe.  
**

**A/N: Alright, so I'm starting the 30 day writing challenge. I decided to dedicate the prompts to Zuko and Katara. I don't want to spoil the story that will unfold so enjoy!**

* * *

Prince Zuko was appalled.

He was sitting in his playroom watching with wary eyes as this girl, this _stranger_, chewed on his favorite building block. She had been playing with the whole set, yet she ended up chewing on his favorite one! The red one, you know, for the Fire Nation. Who did this girl think she was?

He glared at her whenever his Uncle was not looking.

Uncle had told him that her name was Katara. He decided she had funny colored eyes. Her father, Chief Hakoda, was on the United Council with his mother, Fire Lady Ursa. He was told that they were in the Fire Nation for important meetings. He tried to talk his mother into letting him come, he thought he good ideas for his beloved nation, but she said he was not old enough.

Not old enough? He was four! He was the oldest out of the three other children that accompanied him in the playroom.

Sokka, the Water Tribe boy, was swinging around a wooden boomerang next to him. He even managed to hit Zuko in the head at one point but he was too old to tattle now.

His sister, Princess Azula, was taking a nap next to Katara. He wished the bright eyed girl would do the same. Either that or he wished she would pick a different colored block to chew on.

Suddenly the door to the royal playroom opened and an older man Zuko recognized from the kitchens came pushing in a silver cart with four cups of custard.

Prince Zuko loved custard.

"Kids, your snack is here!" Uncle Iroh cheered in a cheerful tone.

Sokka and Zuko raced to the cart, thanking the servant man for the wonderful treat, and sat back down on the crimson rug.

His Uncle had to pick Katara up-Azula was still sleeping–and brought her over to the cart for her treat. She happily accepted the small white bowl of custard and stuck her hand in the gooey substance.

Zuko was momentarily thankful that his building block was finally out of her mouth.

His Uncle sat Katara down beside him, and as he licked the rim of his own bowl, realized the bright eyed girl was staring at him.

"What?" He asked lamely, realizing the girl could not talk very well. Instead she giggled, dipped her small hand back into custard, and slammed it against his cheek.

This is how Zuko met Katara.

Uncle Iroh sat back in his chair, amused, while watching his nephew glare at the young Water Tribe girl. A smile spread across his face as he realized this was the **beginning** of a what would become a wonderful friendship.


	2. Accusation

**Day 2.  
Prompt: Accusation.  
Rating: T (overall) to be safe.**

**A/N: These young ages are fun to write. Katara is a troublemaker.  
**

* * *

The familiar shrilling scream of Katara filled the ears of all of those in the royal garden. Zuko was sure this girl did it on purpose. Even if she was a toddler, he knew that she got kicks out of making his life trouble.

"MOMMY!" Katara cried, sitting on a pile of plucked grass. Kya, Katara's mother, rushed over at the sound of her crying daughter.

"Katara!" Her voice was urgent. Zuko noticed the look of panic as she picked up her daughter in her arms.

"Mommy!" Katara cried. "Dolly!"

"Dolly?" Kya asked, looking around her daughter's whereabouts. Zuko looked as well. He didn't see her toy.

"Momma," Sokka chimed in. "She's pointing to Zuko."

"Dolly!" Katara cried. "Dolly! Stole! Dolly!"

Zuko watched as Kya turned toward him. He gulped. Zuko always thought Kya was as pretty as his own mother. But his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world, he thought.

"Zuko," she cooed, "Did you take Katara's doll?"

He noticed the look of disappointment on her face.

"What? No!" Zuko stood up from his own spot on the grass and held up his hands.

Once Katara spotted shouting, Kya set her back down on the ground and rejoined Ursa at the table where they had been enjoying tea. Zuko watched with suspicious eyes as Katara crept toward him, revealing a doll from the inside of her blue robe pockets. His mouth fell open as he pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You liar!" Zuko hissed in a whisper. Katara giggled.

"Mommy! Dolly!" Katara yelled, throwing the doll at Zuko. It landed at his feet and he picked it up; hoping to hand it back to her in time.

"Zuko!" Ursa yelled, standing up from the table. His cheeks were red and he slowly turned to face his mother. "Zuko, why would you take Katara's doll? You know it's only going to make her upset."

Zuko was furious. He threw the doll down on the ground and stomped his foot. He didn't care if Sokka was laughing at him behind his back.

"I didn't take her doll!" He yelled, pointing another accusing finger at Katara. "She did this on purpose!"

Zuko watched as his mother shook her head.

"Don't be silly, Zuko. She's only three years old."

The five year old prince crossed his arms. He glared at the Water Tribe girl as she bared a toothy grin at him.

_One day, _he thought, _one day I will get my revenge._


	3. Restless

**Day 3.**  
**Prompt: Restless.**  
**Rating: T (overall) to be safe.**

**A/N: :)**

* * *

Katara couldn't sleep. She rolled right, she rolled left. She couldn't get comfortable in the makeshift bed they had made in the playroom. Sokka's light snores filled her ears. It was nap time and Katara insisted she sleeping near her dolls. Beside her, she heard the prince huff.

"Can you sleep?" His voice was groggy. She must have woken him. She rolled back onto her right and faced the amber eyed boy.

"No," she mumbled. "I can't get comfortable."

She watched as the prince pushed off his blanket and stood up from his makeshift bed. They had used the linens he had found one of the royal bathroom cabinets. They had to sneak around the hallways to avoid their mothers. Katara liked going on adventures with Prince Zuko.

"Come," he said, standing over her and offered her his hand. She sat up as well, accepted the gesture, and was hoisted to her feet.

Quietly, they made their way past Azula-who was a screamer if woken–and slowly passed through the double doors of the playroom.

"Where are we going?" Katara asked in a whisper.

"To the kitchens," he explained. "I know what will make you sleepy."

Katara stopped in her tracks, pulling her hand out of his grasp.

"You're going to poison me?" The prince cracked a smile at her worry.

"No! My mom makes this for me all the time." He explained, grabbing a hold of her hand once more.

Once they reached the kitchens, the servants ignored the presence of the two young children. Katara sat down on a small step-ladder in the corner and watched as Zuko grabbed a bottle of milk and poured it into a cup. He picked it up, lighting a small fire in one of his hands, and held the cup over the flame until the substance boiled. Katara crinkled her nose in disgust.

"I'm not drinking that!" She exclaimed as Zuko held out the warm cup of milk for her to take.

She look it, albeit reluctantly, and shifted glances between the cup of milk and the prince.

"Why? Mother makes it for me when I can't sleep. It helps."

"Milk is supposed to be cold." She muttered, bringing the cup up to her lips. The warm substance passed through her mouth and down her throat. It wasn't _that _bad, Katara thought.

As they made their way back toward the playroom, Katara saw Zuko's bedroom out of the corner of her eye. As if she could not make it any further, she dramatically slumped against the wall and slowly slide to the floor. Zuko stared at her.

"What are you doing?" He had been leading her by the hand, like always, and he stopped when her arm could no longer stay in his grasp.

"So tired," she whispered. "Can't go on."

Zuko looked around and sighed.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her arm and hoisting her back to her feet once again. She watched with a sly smile as they made their way into Zuko's bedroom.

Once inside, she ran toward his big four-poster bed and jumped onto the soft mattress.

"Ah," she smiled. "This is much better."

She peeked an eye open to watch as Zuko rolled his eyes at her over dramatic behavior and climbed into the bed next to her. Her eyes were feeling much heavier now, she thought. The milk must be kicking in.

"Thanks...Zu-zu." She barely managed to say as she was pulled into the darkness.


	4. Snowflake

**Day 4.  
Prompt: Snowflake.  
Rating: T (overall) to be safe.  
**

**A/N: Ugh, I love these. I'm excited for them to get older, too, though.  
**

* * *

Prince Zuko was cold.

Their ship had been docked, Mother had given him a thick parka, and he stood still on top of the first snow bank his feet carried him to.

He had never seen snow before.

Everything was white. Too white. The sun made the ground shimmer like it were a mirror. It made a crunch sound underneath his boots and he wanted to eat it.

Fire Lady Ursa, Prince Zuko, and Princess Azula had traveled to the South Pole for Lady Kya's 28th birthday. Mother was in a chipper mood and it made him happy to see her smile.

"Ursa! We're glad you made it!" Chief Hakoda greeted them with his family.

Zuko noticed the Water Tribe siblings were not shivering like him or his sister. He could not understand how they lived here all the time. Mother explained to him that the weather never changed; it could only get worse.

"Hi, Zuko." The five year old greeted him with a small wave. She was blushing.

"Hi," he waved. "It's cold where you live."

She giggled. "You look good in blue."

He looked down at his parka that was lined in some type of fur. It kept him warm for the most part–it'd help if his inner flame was stronger but he was still working on his bending.

Ursa nudged her son with her elbow.

"Say thank you, Zuko. She gave you a compliment."

"Oh," he blushed. "Thank you."

The group of eight started waking back into Katara's village and he watched the girl fall into step beside him.

"Do you want to try some seal jerky when we get to my house?" She asked, looking the firebender in the eyes. He crinkled his nose and a high-pitched giggle filled his ears. He looked to his other side and rolled his eyes.

His sister, Azula, had a crush on Sokka. He knew it, but kept quiet. He didn't want to be yelled at; she was a screamer. She was trying to talk to him as they walked.

"Um..I guess." He finished quickly when he saw his mother give him another pointed look.

The five year old smiled.

At least she wasn't trying to get him into trouble anymore.

As they walked, white stuff started falling from the sky.

"It's snowing!" Katara exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She ran ahead of the group, but before anyone could ask her where she was going, Zuko watched with wide eyes as the girl fell into the cold white snow.

"What are you doing?" He yelled, panicking as he ran over to her. She was moving her arms and legs and he furrowed his brows.

"I'm making a snow angel!" She cheered. Once she was finished, she slowly stood up and jumped next to him. Behind her lay an imprint that looked like an angel.

"Cool," he said. Katara smiled and pulled him a few feet away.

"Make your own!" She urged, trying to push him down. He nodded, lying back, and moving his arms and legs in the motions he watched her do.

"Am I doing it right?" He asked, looking up at the pink-nosed Water Tribe girl. She nodded.

"Stick your tongue out," she said. "You can catch snowflakes and they melt on your tongue!"

He did so as he lay still in the snow. He went cross-eyed as he watched snowflakes fall and fade away on his tongue. When he looked up, the girl was gone.

"Katara?" He called out, standing up and jumping away from his angel. Silence greeted him.

Suddenly, something hit him in the back and he turned to see Katara standing with her hands behind her back. She tried to smile innocently but he knew better.

"You threw snow at me!" He yelled. She shook her head.

Then he was being tackled into the snow.

"Snow fight!" Sokka's voice filled their ears as he threw another snowball at Zuko.

The prince sputtered as he pushed the snow off his face. His eyes narrowed in on the Water Tribe boy, but he was hit with yet another ball of snow.

"Defend yourself!" Katara shouted, giggling, and coming into view as she threw her poorly compact snowball at him. It landed right against his cheek.

He was certain he was going to freeze to death as he picked up snow in his hands and tossed it back at her. It hit her square in the face and for a second he was sure she was going to cry.

A small smile appeared on her face and she started running at him. He tried backing up but it was too late; she had him tackled.

His hands were cold and he couldn't feel his face, but he couldn't help but laugh himself as he picked up more snow and tossed it back at her from his pinned position.


	5. Haze

**Day 5.**  
**Prompt: Haze.**  
**Rating: T (overall) to be safe.**

**A/N: Sorry this is late! I wasn't able to get to the computer and upload it. This is for 6/18. **

* * *

"Hey, Katara, remember that one time when you and I tried to sneak away from the palace?"

Zuko looked at his friend who was seated beside him on the sandy beach. It was nighttime on Ember Island, and she and Zuko had snuck away for their new found activity. She held the smoking pipe in her hand, inhaling as she looked up at him to let him know that she was listening. He watched as she exhaled, coughing slightly.

He was laughing.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, passing the pipe back to him. He secretly hoped that his eyes weren't as red as hers.

He laughed again.

"Those were the best times, eh?" He brought the pipe to his lips, inhaling and eyed her before exhaling. "Well, these years aren't so bad, either."

She giggled. He handed her the pipe but it was cashed.

"Mom wouldn't let us forget that for like five years."

* * *

_Zuko and Katara stood on the balcony of his bedroom. The remaining sun was quickly sinking into the horizon and everything had a reddish glow to it. He heard her sigh, looking out at the city below them._

_"Have you ever been out there?" The eight year old asked. The girl shook her head, frowning._

_"No, daddy says I'm not old enough."_

_Zuko could hear the sadness in her voice. Although he was sure that she wasn't trying to hide it. Nevertheless, Zuko didn't like it when she were sad._

_"I could take you," he said. "I know the middle ring."_

_"Like, run away?" Katara asked, eyeing his suspiciously. Her nervousness made him smile._

_"Only for a little while." He offered, shrugging. His six year old companion let a smile cross her lips._

_"Okay," she nodded. "Let's go."_

_Zuko led her through the halls, hiding behind pillars and curtains. When they reached the West Garden, he took her hand and they ran across the open yard. The fountain drowned out her breathless panting and Zuko stopped underneath a peach tree._

_"I'm going to lift you up, okay?" She wasn't an expert at climbing trees like him or Sokka. She always preferred to play dolls with Azula; who often ended up lighting their heads on fire._

_He knelt down before her, cupping his palms to boost her up. She grabbed the lowest branch she could reach before stepping into his hands. Slowly, he lifted her up and she climbed up the first few branches._

_As he climbed up the tree, he looked behind them toward the doors of the palace. A guard passed by and he held his breath._

_Once they reached the end of a thick branch that overlooked the wall that would take them out of palace grounds, Zuko and Katara slowly made their way onto the top of the wall and straddled the sides with their legs._

_"It's going to feel like a pretty far drop," Zuko explained as he looked at the ground on the other side of the wall. He and Sokka had scaled the wall once or twice before, but Katara never joined them in their games._

_Slowly, Katara stood-for whatever reason- and he prepared himself to jump. Just as he was pushing off, he heard Katara shriek and she was falling backward. Instinctively, he flipped himself over onto his stomach quickly, grabbing her forearms, and grunted as he came into contact with the opposite side of the wall._

_He snaked his way onto the top of the wall, balancing on his stomach, and Katara shrieked once more as she was lowered even further toward the ground._

_"PRINCE ZUKO!" Mother's voice filled the garden, startling him._

_Katara fell to the ground._

_As Zuko jumped down beside her, her cries filling his ears, Mother sent him a very pointed look._

"What in Agni's name were you two doing?" She asked, pulling Katara close to her ches_t, and brushed away the hair falling in her face._

_"We–were–going–to–run–away!" Katara said between sobs. Zuko held his breath; waiting for Mother's angry tone. Instead, she surprised him by looking amused.  
_

_"You two were going to run away? How adorable!" She cheered, pulling Katara to her feet as she stood up.  
_

_Zuko slapped the palm of his head to his forehead as he felt a blush creep up onto his cheeks.  
_


	6. Flame

**Day 6.  
Prompt: Flame.  
Rating: T (overall) to be safe.**

**A/N: 6/19.  
**

* * *

Katara watched as Uncle Iroh and Zuko meditated in the middle of the practice arena. Zuko was always eager for her to attend his practices whenever he learned something new.

"Now, Prince Zuko, it is important to learn how to control your bending," Katara heard Uncle explain. Zuko was standing now, and Iroh looked on behind him. "Fire can be deadly if wild. Now do three sets of the breathing techniques I have shown you."

As Katara watched on, she couldn't help but feel a little envious. She had discovered she were a waterbender just and few months prior, but she wanted to be a firebender.

She wanted to be able to do what Zuko did.

Zuko summoned a small flame in one of his palms. It flickered, growing high, and Iroh shook his head. She could see the familiar look of frustration on the prince's face.

"You must control your temper, Prince Zuko," Iroh encouraged. "You are getting ahead of yourself. You must be able to hold a steady fire."

"I'm trying!" Zuko muttered, closing his eyes as he repositioned himself.

"Iroh, I see your training with my son has not come very far." Ozai's voice boomed in the arena. Katara found herself standing and joining Zuko's side in a defensive position. If he saw her, he said nothing.

"We are making progress," Iroh said. He shot the Fire Lord a look she could not make out and Ozai looked like his brother had just told him a joke.

"I'll show you," Zuko interrupted, all too eager for his father's approval. "Uncle has been showing me how to control a flame."

Zuko took his stance, did the required breathing, and summoned a flame once again. It was controlled, but the fire was not very big. Katara watched as Ozai rolled his eyes.

"This is all you can summon, Prince Zuko? This is disgraceful! Lu Ten was already learning lightening at your age! Your sister, who is two years younger than you, is already labeled a prodigy!"

Zuko's face masked over in hurt and Katara felt her hands tremble as she made fists at her sides.

Zuko's flame grew higher, but it was uncontrolled. Heat surrounded Katara and when Zuko moved his hand, the fire found its way to Katara. She was on fire.

He had burned her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she jumped back, rolling her hands onto her robes, putting out the fire. Zuko was apologizing and Ozai laughed as he walked away, shaking his head. Iroh tried to reach for her, but she sunk back away from him.

"Leave me alone! You burnt me, Zuko!" She cried, looking at him with all the anger she could muster. Her hands throbbed, but all she could think about was that she wanted her father.

"I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry, Katara!" Zuko's voice wavered as he tried to step forward.

"No!" she yelled, backing up. "Stay away from me!"

She started running past them and a new sob broke out of her throat.

"This is why you must learn to control your anger, Prince Zuko. You can end up burning the ones you love. Literally."

As she ran into the hall, she looked at the throbbing burns. Her tears fell onto her hands and she watched as the salty water collected, shone a bright blue, and the red on the back of her hands started to fade.

She was healing herself.


	7. Formal

**Day 7.**  
**Prompt: Formal.**  
**Rating: T (overall) to be safe.**

**A/N: I wish these could be longer. I'm also aware I am slacking. I'm sure that will be fixed tomorrow, though, with the Legend of Korra finale. I'm always hit with a bunch of feels afterward, and my creativity gets flowing.**

* * *

Princess Azula conjured lightening on the day of her eighth birthday. In all the excitement, the Princess talked her father into throwing a formal dinner with dancing in her honor.

"Azula doesn't even like to dance," Zuko whispered in her ear as they sat at one of the many round tables that had been set up on one side of the ballroom. "She's probably just showing off."

"I like to dance." Katara said, smiling at the thought of all the celebrations they had back home. Her mother taught her how to dance at a very young age. The Prince shook his head in disgust.

"I don't," he said. "Mother enrolled Azula and I in lessons, though."

"So you know how?" She asked, hope clear in her voice.

Prince Zuko was very handsome, Katara thought. His raven hair was now long enough to wear in a ponytail, and he said he would be getting his crown on his next birthday.

"Does he know how to what?" Sokka's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Dance." Katara replied.

"I'll dance with you, Sis!" Sokka offered, holding out his hand. Katara shook her head. Sokka always stepped on her toes.

"You don't know how to dance properly, Sokka." she said, turning in her seat to face her brother. "Zuko's had lessons."

"But if he's offering..." Zuko trailed off, looking between the Water Tribe siblings.

"You don't want to dance with me because Mai is here." Katara snapped, jumping up from her seat and stalking off before either of the boys could realize what happened.

Azula and her two school friends, Mai and Ty Lee were standing off to the side near one of the long tables of food that had been set up. She was going to pass by them to leave the temple, but Azula reached out for the heated waterbender

"Oh, Katara! There you are." Azula said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Katara stopped, turning to face the three other girls her age.

"Yes, Azula?" She asked, deliberately ignoring Mai. She offered a small smile to Ty Lee, though.

"Mai was wondering if you think Zuko would dance with her." Ty Lee cut in before the birthday girl could continue.

"How should I know?" Her tone was more sharp than she meant for it to be. Azula looked surprised, but then a knowing smile crossed her lips.

"Let's find out. Here comes dum-dum." She nodded her head forward and Katara turned, feeling herself fume once her eyes locked with Zuko's.

"Katara, I was wondering if you'd honor me with a dance?" He asked as he came to a stop in front of their group. His cheeks turned a light pink when he saw she was blushing herself.

Silently, she nodded. He offered out his hand and his warm fingers intertwined with hers as they walked away from the stunned group of girls.

"Oh," Katara stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I'll make sure you get at least one dance with Sokka before the night is over, Azula."

Her smiled broadened when the Princess turned a bright red.


End file.
